This invention relates generally to a liquid dispenser, and more particularly to such a dispenser for discharging a chemical concentrate from a container into the flush tank of a toilet after the tank liquid has been thoroughly mixed with the chemical concentrate within the container.
Toilet bowl cleaner dispensers have been developed for metering limited quantities of chemical concentrate from a container into a flush tank during the tank refill operation. U.S. Pat. No. Des. 231,985 discloses such a dispenser as having an outer member rotatable relative to the container and an inner ring secured to the top of the container. Since both the outer member and the ring have matching windows, which may be relatively more or less aligned in accordance with the desired opening, it appears from the disclosure of this patent that such controls the amount of concentrate dispensed during each flush cycle.
The interior of the dispensing closure is filled and purged through the windows around the top of the container, regardless of the effective size of the aligned openings, internal air being vented through holes in the top of the closure. As internal fluid concentrate is purged by gravity into the tank during discharge, air enters through these holes and, as the tank refills, the water being admitted forces the internal air out through these holes.
However, the control of the discharge of liquid concentrate from the container is effected by the size of the matching window openings. Liquid flow into the container is likewise controlled by the size of these openings. However, since the tank flush cycle is relatively faster than the tank refill cycle, it would be desirable to restrict the rate of flow during the discharge as compared to that during the refilling in order to avoid an undue amount of liquid concentrate from being flushed down the drain with the rushing tank water. And, the inlet through the dispenser openings should be sufficiently large to avoid any flotation problem of the dispenser, which flotation will persist until and unless sufficient liquid is admitted from the filling tank to prevent the tank level from rising appreciably above that within the dispenser. Moreover, since a solid chemical concentrate may be employed it must be dissolved quickly enough for the liquid adjacent thereto to reach a liquid concentrated condition, especially during frequent flushes wherein there is insufficient time between cycles for the solid concentrate to be dissolved fast enough. The prior art dispensers are incapable of effecting the degree of discharge control required and the thorough mixing of the liquid with the solid concentrate before discharge.